Chapter 160: The Saintess Finds Qiu Nuoya

"Perhaps not from your perspective, but I certainly have reason from mine. However, the fact that you’re here means there can be no doubt that this boy is the person she has been searching for."

The person she’s been searching for...

Ah. That unpleasant feeling was about to become reality.

The man’s pure white robe looked similar to the ceremonial vestments worn by clergy. At the very least, Qiu Nuoya had never seen an adventurer wearing clothes so easy to soil and so cumbersome to move around in. He was almost certainly not an adventurer.

Qiu Nuoya cautiously looked around from behind Warren and noticed the Guild Master standing behind the man, along with another familiar face.

Qiu Nuoya had become far too careless lately.

He had spent three peaceful, carefree years without anything going wrong, and somewhere along the way, he had started to believe that he was finally safe. That was why he had never even asked anyone at the Tamer’s Guild to keep his identity a secret.

But come on. Who would have thought they had people looking into things this far?

"I’ve finally found you."

The woman who had found Qiu Nuoya smiled beautifully.

Qiu Nuoya had absolutely no desire to see her, but apparently, she did not feel the same way. She walked straight up to him, gracefully lowered herself to one knee, gathered the hem of her dress in her hands, and bowed her head.

"I have come to escort you home, Saint."

The woman standing before Qiu Nuoya was unmistakable.

She was the person Qiu Nuoya least wanted to meet in this entire world right now.

Saintess Sherria Realight.

The Adventurer’s Guild was always bustling with adventurers, and now Qiu Nuoya had somehow become the center of attention.

Standing before him, Saintess Sherria smiled warmly. She did not seem to have changed much in appearance over the past three years. Yet for some reason, that smile looked frightening to Qiu Nuoya.

Without thinking, he tightly gripped the back of Warren’s clothes as Warren stood in front of him, shielding him protectively.

The stern-looking man standing before them was clearly connected to Sherria, given the circumstances. Viktor had stepped between Qiu Nuoya and the man, facing him directly, but then turned his attention toward Sherria, who was smiling behind the man’s shoulder.

"Saintess, I am honored that you came here personally, but I believe you may be mistaken about something. My disciple is not the Saint you are looking for. And in the first place, what possessed you to spout such absurdities at a child like this...?"

Sherria had called Qiu Nuoya "Saint" rather than by his name. He had never once accepted such a title, yet she addressed him that way as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

She had not changed at all in the past three years.

"I must admit, I was quite shocked when I first heard that Qiu Nuoya had tamed a slime. However, I have since realized that I was terribly mistaken and that my reaction was extremely rude. I had forgotten just how wonderful and miraculous it is to be loved even by monsters." She smiled gently.

"Besides, I heard from my attendant, Kinana, that Qiu Nuoya has apparently tamed a dragon as well. Is that true?"

Qiu Nuoya was startled when he heard the name from Saintess Sherria.

Kinana is Saintess Sherria’s attendant? I had no idea!

After all, Kinana was an employee of the Tamer’s Guild and was supposed to be a Special Lifeform Protection Staff member just like Qiu Nuoya.

But then Qiu Nuoya suddenly realized something.

Wait, wouldn’t that make me the same?

Although Qiu Nuoya had been given a guild employee ID, his position was only temporary. His actual profession was still that of an adventurer, so there was nothing strange about Kinana having another occupation as well.

Besides, Kinana was also the wife of the Tamer’s Guild branch manager. With connections like that, she probably had plenty of flexibility in how she handled her work.

Sherria’s words caused a commotion among the adventurers.

"Come to think of it, I saw those kids with a demi-human the other day. I thought he was an unusually impressive-looking demi-human, but was he actually a dragon?"

"My daughter told me recently that some demi-human let her touch his horns. Could that really have been him...?"

Apparently, Long had stood out in the city far more than Qiu Nuoya had realized. The murmuring among the adventurers grew louder and louder.

"Yes, he did tame a dragon. But what exactly does that have to do with you? It has nothing to do with either of you."

"When a dragon appears as an enemy, it is simply a creature to be defeated. But when someone is capable of taming one, that is an entirely different matter. You may not know this, but I have heard that the Saint who founded the Church long ago was capable of taming dragons. He is living proof of that very same miracle, so how could you possibly claim that he has nothing to do with us? He is none other than the reincarnation of the First Saint..."

"Shut up!!"

The one who shouted, cutting off Sherria as she continued speaking with a self-satisfied expression, was Warren.

"I’ve told you Nuoya isn’t the person you’re looking for, and he’s been telling you he doesn’t want this! Yet you keep following him around. Is that really what a Saintess is supposed to do!?"

"What..."

The intimidating man who appeared to be a clergyman glared fiercely at Warren.

"Boy, how dare you speak to the Saintess like that..."

But Warren glared right back, as though refusing to back down.

"I’m not saying anything wrong! You’re all ganging up on someone who’s clearly frightened and terrified, putting him on display in front of everyone. Is that really what a responsible adult is supposed to do? And you’re a clergyman on top of that!"